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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24214726">The Eighth Weasley</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gcostello/pseuds/Gcostello'>Gcostello</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AU, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Death Eaters, Depression, F/F, F/M, M/M, Memory Loss, Misguided Albus Dumbledore</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 16:42:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>18,727</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24214726</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gcostello/pseuds/Gcostello</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When tragedy falls on the Weasley family, their oldest daughter, Mandy, is left to bring up her younger siblings in a new peaceful world. How will Harry's story change when the younger, grey witch meets him on the 1st of September and not Molly Weasley?<br/>How will his life change when Mandy becomes aware of his situation with the Durselys?<br/>And how will Sirius Black's life change with Mandy in it?<br/></p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Fred Weasley, Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks, Sirius Black/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>106</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi everyone! This is my first fanfiction for a while, so please bare with me and give me any feedback you have!<br/>The first couple of chapters are all written and are mainly setting the scene, but there will be more action from chapter four onwards!<br/>I hope you like my new character Mandy, I started thinking what if the first wizard family Harry met wasn't quite as perfect as the Weasley's we know and love, and knew what it was like to come from a difficult home life.</p><p>I've tagged depression and alcoholism but I don't go into this in much detail, but I didn't want to surprise anyone!<br/>I hope you enjoy! Gx</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Finally, there was silence. Molly looked over to her family’s clock, 9 hands perpetually pointed to danger and the 10th, her Arthur’s, signalling that he was travelling. She threw up her frazzled hair into a messy bun and took the first sip of her tea, instantly spitting back the cold brew which she remembered too late had been abandoned three hours ago when she first started putting the children to bed. <br/>The last few weeks had taken a lot out Molly, her brothers’ funeral had only been two months ago but it seemed like a lifetime. The order was becoming smaller and smaller as more families were forced to hide behind the fidelius charm, and more of their friends fell at the hands of the death eaters. She was almost relieved that she no longer had to go to meetings, her newborn little girl being too young to be left with her eldest children, at least she didn’t have to hear the news of more deaths with everyone there to watch her grief. Instead, she spent her days baking, sending Arthur off to meetings with bundles of freshly made bread, stews, cakes and treacle tarts for James Potter, who had been in hiding for nearly a year now with his young family. Lilly had sent photos of course, but she wished she could hold her godson in her arms, but it was too unsafe for her to travel to visit. <br/>At the thought of little Harry her mind wandered to when she first met the younger girl. They’d both joined the Order the same day, Lilly’s constant but loving annoyance at James and Sirius’ antics made Molly laugh from across the room as her own husband blabbered onto Remus about some muggle contraption he’d just bought. She still remembered the beaming smile Lilly had given her as they shared an exasperated sigh over their husbands, and like that their friendship was born. Lilly had been a fantastic helper during Molly’s pregnancy with Ron, coming over to help with the twins, ‘practice’ she called it, for her first son. Molly sighed at the memory and the burden of not knowing when she could see her friend again.  <br/>With a jolt, Molly realised that her eldest had joined her at the table. Mandy laughed quietly at her mother’s startled expression. <br/>“If you’re not careful, you’ll end up stuck with that face!” she cheekily smirked at her mother, throwing back the constant complaint molly always had for the ‘unlady’ like expressions she often pulled. <br/>“I thought you were going to bed, it’s your first day back at school tomorrow missy, you don’t want to be tired,” Molly commented as she took out her knitting needles and yarn. <br/>“I know, I just wanted to wait until dad got home. He’s later than he normally is.” Mandy worried her lip, growing up during the war had forced her to grow up too quickly for Molly’s liking. She was only 14, yet she understood the danger they were in more than she wanted her children too, at least Bill was more oblivious, too busy playing quidditch out in the meadow. <br/>Suddenly there was a large bang at the kitchen door, Molly could hear deep breathing and a struggle. She quickly grabbed her wand and gestured to Mandy to gather up the other children. “Keep them calm, and when I say go, use the floo to go to Muriel’s, you understand?” Molly shouted at Mandy as she went out to join her husband. <br/>Mandy ran up the stairs two at a time, she could hear the distinct pops of apparition. One, two. Four. how many of them were there? She couldn’t tell. As she ran into the baby’s room there was a sudden explosion, the left side of the house was on fire. She thanked merlin that all the children slept on the right side, as she screamed for them to come out onto the landing. As Bill came out of his room she threw Ginny at him, rushing to the twin’s crib and throwing one on each hip. She did a quick headcount, they were all here and she wasn’t waiting for her mothers next instruction. The smoke was getting thicker and thicker as she forced them all down the stairs, her throat tightening with it and the tears she was fighting to keep back. <br/>“Bill go first, go to Muriels, we’ll all follow”, she could see the fear in his eyes as he held the now crying Ginny, but he went without complaint.<br/>Charlie hesitated, “what about mum and dad, we can’t leave them?!” He shouted at her, the tears streaming down his face. <br/>“You have to be brave for me Char, we can’t help them fight, we have to look after the younger ones, please?” Her voice broke as she begged for him to go, she was nearly gagging on the tears she was holding back and she saw him give in. She sighed with relief as he went into the fireplace, a sleeping Ron in his arms. She almost laughed at her youngest brother, so thickheaded he could sleep through all the chaos. She caught herself though as Percy pulled on her arm, looking up at her patiently, scared but completely trusting. It nearly broke her, but she smiled reassuringly and pushed him into the floo. <br/>As she stepping into the fireplace, she paused as a sudden silence swept through the burrow. Then there was a scream, an earsplitting scream that curled her blood. She stood transfixed, not knowing what to do for a minute as she heard her mother cry out in pain and fear. She couldn’t hear her father so much as breathe. With tears blurring her vision, she threw the floo powder, stepping out of the bosom of her family and into the unknown.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. September 1st</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>September 1st 1991<br/>
The chaos of the first of September caught Mandy unaware as it did every year. The twins had decided to pack after breakfast despite them promising they’d have it done by last night, Ron was running up and down the stairs bringing more and more random items that “he just needed” and Ginny was crying in the only bathroom- angry that after Ron left for Hogwarts she was the only one left. Mandy sighed.<br/>

“Ginny, please come out. I need to have a shower and we’re going to be late. There’s only one year left, and we’ll have loads of fun just the two of us this year? I promise” She tried to keep her voice cheerful. Arthur popped his head out from his bedroom, seemingly confused about the amount of noise and drama unfurling around him.<br/>

“It’s the first of September dad, they’re going back to school”, Mandy smiled at him patiently as he scratched at the back of his head awkwardly.<br/>

“Of course it is dear, must have slipped my mind, I’m just going to go back to sleep I think, yes I think that sounds nice”, he murmured as he slunk back into the dark dingy room.<br/>

“Sure dad, I’ll leave some breakfast out for you”. She knew he wouldn’t eat it but it made her feel better to keep up the pretence.<br/>

She went to knock on the door again when it suddenly flung open, Ginny dressed and with a determined look on her face.<br/>

“Will you teach me more about defensive magic this year, I promise I’ll work really hard and do all my other work too”, she looked hopeful and Mandy knew that the wrong answer to her demand would only make her day harder. She nodded and moved into the bathroom sighing again.<br/>

She quickly jumped into the shower, revelling in the moment of peace even as she could hear the sounds of arguing outside the door. She shook her head as she got out of the shower and cast a drying spell, she’d miss them over the school year but definitely not the chaos they caused. She paused as she went to brush her teeth. Her auburn hair was a frizzy mess, she had large bags under her eyes and she had slight laughter lines around her eyes, although they were probably more likely worry lines but she didn’t want to think of them like that. She wholeheartedly looked older than her 24 years. She sighed again, laughing slightly as she thought to herself that sighing could be her catchphrase she did it so often. She grabbed her wand again and performed some basic glamours. She tamed her hair into glossy waves, applied makeup charms to make herself look less like an inferius, and smiled at herself. Passable. Definitely passable.<br/>

She didn’t know why she really cared at all, she never thought about her appearance, but today was different. The 1st was always a big day, the only day she really interacted with anybody outside of her family, and she didn’t want to look a mess. Not when they would all look at her with the same pity they always did. She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.<br/>

As she came downstairs the calm she felt in the sanctity of the bathroom was gone. The twins had stolen Percy’s prefect badge again and he looked close to tears. Mandy took a deep breath and clenched her fists, she didn’t want to create a fuss on the last day, but it had been a long, long summer.<br/>

“Fred, stop being a prat and give Percy his badge back, you know how hard he worked for it, don’t give him a hard time”, something in her voice must her shown how tired she was as Fred threw her a sheepish look and gave the badge back to Perce.<br/>

Mandy smiled and grabbed her coat,” everyone good to go, we don’t want to be late?”<br/>
She saw them all nod in excitement as she headed over to the fireplace, ushering them into the floo one by one. “I won’t be long dad, don’t go anywhere before I get back!” The borrow remained silent. She smiled sadly to herself and went to join her siblings at Kings Cross. </p><p>The station was busier than she remembered. It was 20 to 11, late as usual. Mandy brushed herself down as she exited the floo behind the costa coffee, straightening the white blouse she’d thrown on to try and look half presentable for the grockles to stare at her.<br/>

As they neared the platform, the twins racing their trolleys at breakneck speeds past unsuspecting muggles, she saw a small, shivering little boy. She slowed to a stop, the twins looking at her expectedly, waiting for her to let them go. He was bathed in an oversized flannel shirt, covered in moth holes and falling to around his knees. His black plimsolls, the ones she wore in the muggle primary school when they used to play PE, were wrapped in ducktape, the holes still poking through the makeshift fix. His face was hollow and thin, but his thin lips were pulled into a nervous smile that instantly endeared her to him. It was his eyes however that made her stop. The same frightening green eyes that aunt Lilly had, always twinkling as she told a joke at her husband’s expense, or as she snuck her one of those muggle teen magazines that her mother thought were crass. This had to be him, this had to be Harry. She looked around for his aunt and uncle, knowing that’s who he’d been living with for the last 10 years, but she couldn’t see them.<br/>

She walked over to him, smiling kindly at him. “Are you Ok dear, you look a little lost?”<br/>

“I was wondering.. you wouldn’t know... I’m not sure how to..” he trailed off, looking at the ground sheepishly. Mandy laughed kindly.<br/>

“It’s your first year at Hogwarts?” she asked. He nodded.<br/>

“Well its Ron’s too,” she waved her youngest brother over, “so look, you’ve both made a friend before you’ve even boarded the train, I’d say that’s pretty good going!” She laughed as Harry gave her and Ron a bright smile.<br/>

“I’m Harry by the way”, he spluttered as he realised he hadn’t shared his name.<br/>

“And I’m Mandy, Ron’s older sister, and this is Percy, Fred, George and Ginny, she’s joining Hogwarts next year.” They all waved at Harry, who was beginning to look less like he was about to be sick.<br/>

“Right, the platform!” Mandy clapped her hands together before ushering Percy towards the barrier. “You best do it at a bit of a run Harry, I promise it’s not as scary as it looks!”<br/>

Harry looked less convinced, but as the Weasleys all made it through without issue, he put on a brave face and started at a run towards the barrier. Mandy smiled, vowing to send a letter to Dumbledore about the condition she’d found Harry in and the lack of guardian before she went through the barrier herself.<br/>

The commotion on the platform hit her like a force. There were children everywhere, hugging friends they hadn’t seen all summer, waving their parents goodbye and the twins had somehow already set off a dung bomb. She smiled at the excitement of all the students, thinking back to her own time at Hogwarts, which as always left her feeling rather numb. She didn’t like to think about her short time at Hogwarts, her parent’s injuries forcing her to become the carer for both them and her siblings. Dropping out before her 5th year had been one of the easiest decisions of her life, if she hadn’t her siblings would her gone into one of the orphanages set up after the war. That didn’t mean she liked the decision, she still sometimes resented them when they told her about their time at Hogwarts, but she knew that’s what her parents had fought for, a chance for them to be children. She didn’t want that to go to waste.<br/>

Mandy took a deep breath and looked around for Ron and Harry. They were standing over by the train with the twins, putting their trunks into one of the compartments. She hurried over wanting to say goodbye before they went.<br/>

“Right boys, you promise you’ll write to me? I want monthly updates Ron, just like your brothers. If you need anything, just send a letter with one of the school owls, you to Harry.” She smiled kindly at his shocked expression, he nodded slightly.<br/>

“Ok, thank you Mandy.” She ruffled his hair as he blushed, pushing the boys onto the train.<br/>

“Fred, George, don’t be a dick to Perce ok, I don’t want him to spend his whole time trying to control the two of you. Let him enjoy being a prefect, please?” She could practically see the cogs turning in their heads over how to carefully word their promise, knowing they wouldn’t want to lie to her.<br/>

“We won’t make him feel bad.”<br/>

“Not on purpose.”<br/>

“Never.”<br/>

“Not us.”<br/>

“Stop it. Get on the train, it’s about to go, and I’ll see you all at Christmas”, she laughed as they all went off in a chorus of byes, Percey sticking his head out of a window further up the carriage to wave her off.<br/>

Mandy and Ginny waited on the platform as the train started moving, the cacophony of parents waving their children off for their first years a far cry from the anxious and painfully quite platforms during her time at Hogwarts, the war not allowing for this expression of emotion. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the memories that she couldn’t afford to think off now, not surrounded by so many people.<br/>

As she made her way back to the barrier with Ginny, she noticed people starring at the pair. Most looked on with pity, knowing full well the fate of Molly Weasley. Yet some, the known death eaters in the crowd, looked at her with disdain and a sense of glee. Lucius Malfoy smirked as he barged past her, and she fought back a growl. She couldn’t lose her cool if people like that scum were around, she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. 

Grabbing her wand, she raced through Kings Cross, Ginny in tow. The line for the floo station would be too long, and she could feel the stress of the day weighing down on her. Mandy’s breath quickened and the familiar claggyness spread across her body, she could feel sweat pooling at the nape of her neck. Ginny seemed oblivious thanks to years of learning to cover up the signs, off pushing through the panic until she could wallow in it alone. 

She found a quiet spot, behind a dustbin in the station carpark and side apparited the two home. She rushed up to her room feigning a headache and told Ginny she could spend the rest of the morning practising her potions. As she shut the door on her small bedroom, the smell of ash and smoke filled her lungs and she started to cry.<br/>

As much as she loved the burrow, the reminders of that night were everywhere. The house sat lopsided, the money never materialising to fix the half that had burnt down. Photos of the family before the fire littered the house, mocking her everywhere she looked over what was and what should have been. 

Her father was the worse. The first three years he’d been ok. Quiet, reserved, she knew he got overwhelmed and would need to sit down before he could carry on with the day. In those moments she would worry, but at first, she thought she might be able to return to Hogwarts after the Christmas of her 5th year. Then he got worse. She always thought that the joy of having them all together but without Molly is what set him off, he was always worse over Christmas. She’d found him passed out in a pool of his own vomit, an empty bottle of firewhisky smashed on the ground in the bathroom. She’d sent Dumbledore a letter straight away, asking for her homeschooling to continue indefinitely, citing her own difficulties dealing with her mother’s condition as making going back to school too difficult. She never told him how bad dad was, none of them did. 


The official line was that he was a stay at home dad and didn’t like going out much. It was an easy lie as it was mostly the truth. Arthur Weasley hadn’t left the burrow in 7 years. At first, it was just the drinking, Bill was off at Hogwarts and the others went to the local primary school, so she could hide it. She sobered him up enough to go to parents evenings and did the school run herself. She sent him off to muggle London hoping it would keep him busy and away from the children, but he just drank away their money in muggle pubs.<br/>

It was only when Bill asked her what was wrong with him, that she tried to do more. She made an appointment with a muggle doctor, and sat in the white sterile waiting room with him. As he sat numbly staring at a stool chart on the wall as she explained what was wrong to the GP, she knew that he was as gone as her mum. Wizards have little interest in mental health, when she sat her Bill and Charlie down to talk about his depression they couldn’t understand. 

The gap between them and the lack of time they had known the muggle fanatic version of Arthur was becoming starker. Ginny didn’t call mum mum, she never really addressed her at all. She was an abstract part of her life that Mandy no longer forced her to visit. Ron came to St. Mungos with her sometimes, as did the twins, but it was the older siblings that went every week when they were home, the ones who remembered her and how much they had truly lost. With Bill off in Egypt and Charlie having just left for Romania she was beginning to feel that she was the only one who hadn’t moved on. She felt stuck at the moment she heard her mother being tortured. No direction, no idea of what she wanted, and until Ginny left next year, no way of doing anything anyway.<br/>

Mandy’s breathing started to calm, she could hear her father flushing the loo, and was relieved he wasn’t still in bed. He never took the pills he was given. Clinical depression the doctor told her, very treatable with pills and later therapy sessions. She thought the idea of muggle medicine would have had dad on board, but he didn’t think he was ill. 

She found the prescription in the bin two days later, none taken, and resigned herself to the dark cloud her father’s illness put over the burrow. She threw herself into distracting the children, pushing them academically and teaching them more than most students would ever need at Hogwarts. She finished her own schooling at home, McGonagall sending work via owl. She started training daily, practising duels on a dummy she bought at a car boot sale, living more as a muggle than a wizard in most respects, but making sure she would be prepared to defend her family if needed. Her siblings never let on that they knew how bad it all was, she would visit mum first having them wait in the canteen to check she was having a good day. They would talk to Nevil, whose parents shared the same wing as mum, his nan distracting them as she helped the nurses give her a sedative so she would be calm enough to see them. She never let them go into dad’s room, to see what a mess it was. They probably knew, but not letting them see it made her feel better. Made her feel like she had some control.<br/>

Mandy laughed to herself as she got off her bed and walked over to her mirror. The glamour charms she’d applied earlier had gone and she looked a mess. She whipped the tears and applied a cooling charm. Grabbing a large holey jumper that once belonged to her uncle, she went downstairs to prepare lunch. Mandy Weasley had spent the last ten years fending for her family, making sure they got to live the life her parents’ had sacrificed themselves for, she wasn’t about to let a smug git like Lucius Malfoy make her doubt herself. Smiling, she called Ginny into help.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hopefully, you're enjoying the story so far! I'm hoping to update later today, and then have the next couple of chapters done early next week.<br/>I'd love to hear what you think of the story, even the negative stuff!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Dumbledore vs Mandy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The year had gone by quickly. She invited Harry over for Christmas, and was shocked at how different the boy was. She’d sent her letter to Dumbledore after lunch on the 1st and been told that his uncle and aunt had been busy that day and had just dropped him off. She didn’t want to argue with the headmaster, in fear of him asking too many questions about their own situation, but she knew there was more to it than ‘they were busy’. She vowed to keep an eye on Harry, just as Aunt Lily had looked after her when she was younger and in the months after the fire.</p><p>That Christmas was the happiest one they’d had yet, Molly had improved during the holidays before relapsing in the new year, but at least the rest of them got to see her on a good day. They even took Harry along and showed the two of them old photos from the Order. Mandy didn’t tell them much about the Order, other than the fact they had fought against you-know-who together, and she could tell Harry had more questions, but both he and Molly seemed so happy looking at the photos, both blissfully unaware of who anybody really was. </p><p>Seeing them off on the Hogwarts express had been difficult after the happy Christmas, the cold and quiet house seemed more depressing than ever before. Arthur had spent the whole Christmas in his room, not once being seen. The only evidence she had that he was even alive was the clean plate of food he left outside his door every day, proof he was eating the meals she left for him.</p><p>Harry didn’t seem bothered. The chaos of the Weasley’s seemed truly magical to him, and he had never met anyone as kind as Mandy. She was the perfect mother figure, and yet she swore, played quidditch with them and had as wicked a sense of humour as the twins. </p><p>In the months between Christmas and summer, Mandy held true to her promise to teach Gin defence. All of her siblings had a full repertoire of hexes and magical knowledge, even the twins were the top of their classes as a result despite their rule-breaking ways. Ginny was different though. Mandy knew how it felt to live up to her siblings high standard. Whilst she had stayed at home and out of the public eye, Bill and Charlie had both been head boy and popular, star quidditch players that now had competitive jobs that they loved. Ginny was the youngest and Mandy wanted to help her find her thing, and the younger girl just so happened to be wicked good at hexes. </p><p>Mandy had figured out years ago how to recreate the charm done on her wand to let her do underage magic whilst she was homeschooled and had applied it to all the Weasley’s wands. Ginny had thus learnt all the spells taught up to fourth year, plus a couple of extra ones that Dumbledore might frown upon. As far as Mandy was concerned, all magic could be dark if used in such a way and she wasn’t about to let her family put themselves at risk for the sake of PC claptrap. Her parents could have defended themselves better with a couple of extra spells, but the light was right these days and she made sure her siblings never shared their extracurricular learning with their classmates. </p><p>Mandy had just gotten back from her morning run when the owl arrived. She recognised it as one of the Hogwarts owls and rushed to grab the letter it held in its claws, fearing the worst. She clutched her chest as she read Dumbledors brief description, but she couldn’t get past one sentence:<br/>Mr Potter and Mr Weasley are being well looked after in the hospital wing. </p><p>Mandy shouted up the stairs to Ginny, calling her down. She threw on a nearby jumper, knowing it would be colder up in Scotland, and the two raced to the floo. </p><p>She soon found herself in the headmaster’s office, or at least she presumed this was his office,<br/>she’d never been invited during her own time at Hogwarts, but she couldn’t imagine any of the other professors having such an oddity of items in their offices. Fawks sitting proudly on his perch was also a giveaway.</p><p>“You look in good health my dear,” Mandy jumped at the sound of the headmaster's smooth voice. His eyes seemed to twinkle in glee at her obvious surprise. </p><p>“Your letter seemed urgent. The boys, are they ok?” Mandy didn’t want to be rude, but the headmaster’s trademark eccentricity was going to wear thin if he kept her from seeing if the boys were safe, social niceties be damned. </p><p>“Mr Potter and Mr Weasley are fine, nothing a bit of rest won’t solve. Lemon drop?” His hand wafted over a crystal bowl on his desk as Mandy barely disguised her scoff. </p><p>“If it's all right with you professor, I’d like to make my own judgment about just how ‘fine’ the boys are”,she blushed faintly as her rudeness caused the older man to arch an eyebrow at her, the closest he got to anger she would imagine. She knew she should apologize for her rudeness, but something felt wrong. The headmaster was keeping something from her and she didn’t appreciate being lied to. </p><p>“Would you like me to escort you Miss Weasley, or can you remember the way to the hospital wing, I have some business to attend to for an old friend”, he smiled politely at her, her rudeness apparently not offending him too much. </p><p>“I think Ginny and I can figure it out, sir. I’ll see you later.” She grabbed Ginny’s hand roughly and pulled the two of them out of the room. She could tell that her sister was looking at her weirdly, but she couldn't explain the feeling in the pit of her stomach, not even to herself. Something had happened and the headmaster wanted to keep her out of it. She may not be Harry’s sister, but she thought of him as under her care even after such a short time, and she knew, she just knew, that the headmaster was meddling. </p><p>As she raced into the hospital wing her heart stopped. At the end of the bay of beds sat a small girl with bushy hair, who she presumed to be their friend Hermione, tear stains clear on her cheeks. In the beds to either side of her were her boys, both looking painfully small and pale. She rushed over only to them. </p><p>“Fine my arse! What happened, are you ok?” She could feel the panic in her throat calming as the two boys laughed at her language, the young girl next to her gasping in shock. </p><p>“Sorry dear, you must be Hermione, the boys have told me so much about you”, she shook Hermione’s hand, “I’m Mandy and this is Ginny.” She gestured to where Ginny stood awkwardly behind her, blushing at the close proximity to Harry as she had all Christmas. </p><p>“For goodness sake Gin, they won’t bite, come sit by your brother”, the younger girl blushed brighter than her head but made her way over to the chair beside Ron’s head. </p><p>“Did the headmaster not tell you?” Hermione asked as the trio looked at each other nervously. Mandy knew that they had gotten themselves involved with something dangerous by their guilty faces, but didn’t want to put them off telling her by coming on too strong. </p><p>“No he didn't’, and I don’t think he's going to, which makes me think that this was more than a prank gone wrong. You know you can tell me anything right, all of you? I’m not going to tell you off, your injuries are punishment enough.” She was trying really hard to sound genuine, she wasn’t lying about not telling them off, but if they had done something truly reckless she should probably advise against it. Yes, that seemed like something a parent would do. </p><p>“Have you heard of the philosopher's stone?” Hermione finally said after sharing pointed looks with the boys. </p><p>“Nicholas Flammel created it, what has that got to do with you two being in the hospital wing?” She asked, biting her tongue to stop her impatience being too obvious. </p><p>“He gave it to Dumbledor to protect at the school, we thought it was Snape that was trying to steal it, everyone knows he was a death eater, but it was Quirrel.” Hermione blurted out in one breath, obviously telling a very abridged version of the tale. </p><p>“You’re forgetting I grew up with Fred and George, what made you think it was Snape?” She sent Hermione a pointed look. </p><p>“Well, when Harry’s broom was hexed it was Snape that was muttering a charm and when I set fire to his robes Harry’s broom was under control again, and then we saw him and Quirrell arguing about finding something, and he wasn’t there with the troll. It seemed obvious.” Mandy was surprised the girl hadn’t passed out; she spoke so quickly. </p><p>“One, do you really think Dumbledor would hire a death eater, and more importantly, did you not think of telling anybody? I’m guessing you tried to follow him?” She cocked an eyebrow at Harry who was looking miffed that she was questioning their judgement. </p><p>“He did hire a death eater, he hired Quirrel!” He shouted indigently.</p><p>“I’m not telling you off Harry, I’m trying to understand and if you’d told me any of this earlier I could have helped and you wouldn’t be in a hospital bed!” Her voice shook as she tried to not shout, her patience was wearing thin and they hadn’t really explained any of it to her. </p><p>“We found where it was hidden, on the third floor, and we figured out how to get past fluffy and the trap door. But then there were all these tasks and Ron was incredible and played wizard chess, and then there was this potion, and I made Harry take it so I could tell Dumbeldor and then you-know-who was there and..” Mandy threw her hand over Hermione’s mouth. </p><p>“Stop! You’re going to pass out! We’ll come back to chess and potions later, but you need to tell me what happened with you-know-who. He’s meant to be dead”. Her blood had gone cold at that part of Hermione’s confession, she could hear her pulse pounding in her ear as she swallowed down vomit. If Harry had faced you-know-who as an 11-year-old, she could be brave enough to listen to the story. Then she was going to have a quick word with the headmaster. Fine my arse.</p><p>“He’d possessed Quirrell, he was on the back of his head the whole time just listening to us, and then he tried to take the stone.” Harry said quickly, again, leaving more details than he’d included. She would get the answers later. </p><p>“Did he get it?” She asked.</p><p>“He couldn’t touch me, I hid it in my pocket. Dumbledor has it now.” Harry murmured. He looked wrecked. He was too young to be dealing with any of this. </p><p>Mandy sighed, “Ok, I’m going to talk to Dumbledor. Ginny, stay here with your brother. I’m glad you’re all ok, you did a rash thing, but a brave thing. I’m proud of you all”, she smiled to herself at their shocked faces over her praise. </p><p>On the walk back to the headmaster’s office her head swam. The headmaster had to know, he had to understand what it all meant. Yet, he told her it was fine. You-know-who was back, probably never really gone, and the headmaster was set on ignoring it. Not on her watch he wasn’t.<br/>She got to the gargoyle statue and didn't even wait for it to ask for a password before she cast the most powerful unlocking spell she knew. She laughed as it swung open, she hadn’t expected it to really work. The headmaster looked just as shocked. </p><p>Miss Weasley, you’ll have to teach me that spell, very little happens around here that i don’t know about, I’m surprised you know a spell that I don’t” he laughed with a good-natured smile. We’ll see how long he keeps his cool, Mandy thought. </p><p>“I can imagine, which is why I find it so hard to believe you didn’t know about Quirrell. It was a test, wasn’t it?”, she nearly growled. </p><p>“I had my suspicions,now I can prepare accordingly.” He answered simply, “tea?”</p><p>“Tea?” She spluttered. “You’re asking me if I want tea? My little brother nearly died because of your little experiment! Who were you testing Albus, Harry or Voldermort?” Her voice had entered a new octave she didn’t know existed, and she took a deep breath. <br/>The headmaster simply smiled, “I would never intentionally put the child in harm's way.”</p><p>“You’re not denying it though? How are your findings then Albus, interesting how he can’t touch Harry, was that something you were expecting too?” Her voice was calmer but there was still a tinge of anger. Her whole body felt electric with anger, she couldn’t believe the danger the headmaster was willing to put Harry in to do what, test a theory? She was livid. </p><p>“It confirms a theory I had, yes”, the headmaster seemed faintly impressed by her, and Mandy realised that she was going to get more out of the old kook by appealing to the academic in him. </p><p>“I take it black, the tea” she nodded to the tea set as she finally took a seat. “That scar connects them in a way Voldemort never intended, they share something.”</p><p>The headmaster nodded, the pride in his eyes shining bright as he answered, “you were always impossibly bright Miss Weasley, it was a great shame your time with us was cut short, your mother would be very proud.” </p><p>“You speak like she's dead”, Mandy took a sip of her tea, the conversation was going in a particular direction, she felt the element of surprise that had worked in her favour slipping. </p><p>“To lose your mind would be a most terrible fate for people like us, who see what the others miss, don’t you think?” The headmaster beckoned to Fawks, feeding him a shortbread biscuit from an ornate plate. </p><p>“I think you like to talk in riddles to make other people think you know more than you really do.” She raised an eyebrow in challenge. <br/>Albus sighed, looking his 111 years. “There was a prophecy. It’s why he went after Harry, they are fated to defeat each other. Lily used old magic, love magic to protect him. I believe it is her sacrifice that bounded the two.”</p><p>“That's why he’s with those terrible Dursleys? The aunt keeps the sacrifice alive?” She was riveted, love magic was a complex thing, something not studied in centuries, and she wanted to know more.  </p><p>“Yes, without her Harry is vulnerable to Voldermort if he returns.” The headmaster nodded in approval at her understanding. </p><p>“There has to be another way though, they’re abusive Albus. If this is the reason you wrote to me about it’s not really good enough. So what if he’s protected from Voldermort if he’s miserable, we can protect him in other ways.” She was trying so hard to keep calm, but she couldn't believe how callous Albus was being. </p><p>“I’ve made my decision Miss Weasley, if you want to help research the bond between them I will allow that, but Mr Potter will be staying with the Dursleys. He can come stay with you from his birthday.” The headmaster nodded with an air of finality and she knew the argument was over. </p><p>Standing up as gracefully as her anger would allow her she thanked him and made her way to the door.</p><p>“I think you’re making a grave mistake Dumbledor, and I will find a way to get Harry away from them. He deserves a happy life, even if you intend to use him as a weapon at the end of it. I’ll use the Hogsmeade floo to get home, have a nice summer”. </p><p>Turning back to the door, she flounced out, keeping her head high and trying to channel every ounce of grace she had. She wasn’t going to allow him the last word. She was going to give Harry Potter a happy childhood if it was the last thing she did.</p><p>Harry came to stay with the Weasley’s the day before his birthday. She had borrowed her father’s old Ford Anglea, and taken Ron and the twins with her. Ron was looking a lot better, she had really worried about him the first couple of days after the accident. He had large bruises all over his left side, but Poppy had given her lots of potions for the pain, and she had brewed a special sleeping potion to help with the nightmares he experienced that first week. </p><p>Hermione had been staying with the Weasley's for a week before Harry joined them. The young girl had been incredibly kind and patient with Ginny, who had jumped on her with a rare relish and spent most of the week dressing her up like a doll. Hermione came down each evening for dinner with a more and more outlandish hairstyle everyday, but she seemed genuinely happy to let Ginny dress her up. Mandy realised that she probably didn't have many females friends, and Hermione had mentioned that her parents worked a lot. She made a note of planning a pamper evening for the girls before they went back to school, and teaching Hermione a couple of spells to tame her unruly hair. She knew what it was like growing up outnumbered by boys, she could probably do with some girl time too. </p><p>Whilst Hermione had been swiftly dropped off by her parents, who had marvelled at the blatant use of magic at the burrow, picking up Harry included a five hour drive to Surrey. The M25 had been completely jammed, and the twins spent the whole journey making up rude songs about other motorists on the motorway. By the time they got to Surrey, Mandy’s whole body was aching and she could barely feel her bottom; it was so numb. </p><p>“Right boys, I don’t want any mucking around. I only let you come because I knew you would spend the whole day pestering Perc when he’s trying to work, but you can’t annoy the muggles. I don’t want to have the ministry asking questions'', she told them sternly as she straightened her dress. Whilst she didn’t care what the Dursley’s thought of her, she didn’t want them taking it out on Harry, so she had picked out her most grown up and presentable dress, and thought she looked passable as a muggle.</p><p>As they made their way up the driveway the door was opened to reveal the largest man Mandy had ever seen. She heard one of the twins make a rather crude joke about Harry’s uncle. As she coughed to cover her laugh she gave the oaf of a man her sweetest smile.</p><p>“We’re here for Harry, we sent a letter?” she was quite impressed at how polite she sounded, although she could tell the giant man was pissed by her lack of formalities. </p><p>“Get down here boy, I thought you said they’d be here an hour ago!” the mans face was going an unfortunate purple colour that made him look rather like an aubergine. Mandy struggled not to laugh again. </p><p>“Well, I thought best not to fly in on broomsticks so we took the car. Bad traffic just by stonehenge, it’s funny how you muggles love that sacrificial altar. Did you know that in the middle ages wizards would burn muggles in the centre, it was a great privilege to be chosen. Shame that's ended, isn't it?” She could hear the twins struggling to stifle their laughter, not wanting to ruin the effect of her lie. Somehow the oaf was going an even redder colour, when Harry came down the stairs. </p><p>“Harry dear, go throw you stuff in the car and say goodbye to your uncle, we’ve got a long journey home!” She ushered him into the car as he failed to say goodbye to his uncle, already laughing with the twins about the pig of a man. <br/>“Awfully nice to meet you darling, red really suits you”, and with her final parting jab she burst into a fit of laughter, joining her siblings in the car. She turned to see Harry with a large grin on his face. </p><p>“Is that true about Stonehenge?” he asked. </p><p>“Of course not, why’d we sacrifice muggles? God knows what it's for, but did you see the look on his face!” She dissolved into giggles again, Harry and the other three Wealsye’s joining in. With a one-finger salute to the Dursleys house, which had Harry in tears he was laughing so hard, they set off back to the borrow.</p><p>Harry’s 12th  birthday was the best one he’d ever had. Mandy made him a snitch birthday cake out of an old recipe of her mums. The weather was brilliant and they spent the whole day playing quidditch out in the meadow. That evening, Mandy prepared all of Harry’s favourite food and all the Weasleys, bar Arthur, sat at the outside table to celebrate. Bill and Charlie happened to be home for the weekend, and they had spent the day teasing Harry as much as their other brothers. </p><p>Mandy watched, later that evening, as Bill asked Harry about his time on the quidditch team. When the pair had first met she could tell that Harry didn’t know how to talk to the tall, long-haired man. Harry had never known older children, so talking to the 19-year-old Bill was a new experience, but as the day went on he became more relaxed and started making fun of Bill’s new fang earring. He seemed more comfortable than she’d ever seen him, more so than at christmas even. </p><p>Mandy watched as Harry looked around the garden in awe, as if he didn’t quite believe the day had really happened. He looked happy, really happy. Mandy wiped a way a tear she hadn’t noticed she’d shed. Harry Potter was going to have a good life, she just had to help him realise that he could.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you liked the latest chapter! <br/>Thank you to everyone who left Kudos on the first two chapters, and the people who have subscribed!<br/>I've got my final exam tomorrow morning and then I'm free for summer, so I'll be updating probably twice a week over the next couple of weeks at least! <br/>Thank you for reading! Gx</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. A Werewolf in London</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The house rang out in silence as she returned from the station. Seeing Ginny wave her off distractedly and she excitedly made friends with her fellow first years had made Mandy feel physically sick. For 11 years she had the excuse of looking after her siblings for keeping her out of a job, out of her own life. Now she had no excuse, nothing but her own incompetence and she was scared. She had no experience, no references, and she’d barely been in the wizarding world other than picking and dropping the younger ones off at the station. She was 25 years old and had nothing to show for it.</p><p>She jumped at the sounds of somebody coming down the stairs. </p><p>“Where are they all?” Arthur Weasley looked more dishevelled than she’d ever seen him, his hands were shaking and his voice was so detached she didn’t recognise it at first. She may be free of her ‘parenting’ role, but her dad was still here. </p><p>“I’ve just dropped them off at the station dad, it’s Ginny’s first year at Hogwarts?” Her voice raised in question, hoping he’d have some memory, that there was anything left. </p><p>He sat down heavily at one of the kitchen chairs and stared glassily out of the window. Mandy got up to make a late breakfast for the two of them, throwing constant glances back at him. It was the first time they’d spent this long together all summer. He looked haggard, his face almost melting off his skull like wax. There was a thick layer of sweat on his face. </p><p>“I think you’re ill dad, you don’t look very good.” That was putting it nicely, he looked like he’d been dragged out of a six foot hole, he was so pale. </p><p>“I think I’m dying dear”, he gave her a small smile. She froze at the bluntness of the statement.  He seemed unaware of her discomfort as she nearly choked on the tears she was holding back, she hadn’t seen him smile in a long, long time. </p><p>“I think you’ve been dying for a long time dad,” this time she let the tears flow. She didn’t know what was wrong, but this was more than his mind, his body was finally giving up too. </p><p>“Let’s take you to St Mungos, please?” Her voice was shaking as she frantically tried to brush the tears away, hoping he wouldn’t see them. </p><p>“Yes, that seems like a good idea”, he almost sounded like his old self. She smiled sadly, and went to grab her bag. </p><p>“Ok dad, let’s go”, he looked around the room one last time as she pushed him into the floo. It was as if he was seeing his home for the first time in years, and the saddest thing was, she knew that he probably was.<br/>
(</p>
<hr/><p>)</p><p> </p><p>Mandy had always hated St Mungos. The chemical smell reminded her of the days she spent here after the fire, of the pitying looks the nurses gave her and the fear that hung in the air over what was going on in the world outside the front doors. </p><p>The doctor told her it was dragonpox, probably picked up from when Charlie had visited and dad’s poor immune system from years of neglect had made him more susceptible than the rest of them. They were trying a new surgery that they thought might help remove the pus from the boyles that littered his body, and so she was forced to wait in the too brightly lit waiting room. </p><p>She was flicking through an old issue of witch weekly that she’d read before when she heard a familiar voice. By the door to the waiting room was a tall man wearing the most threadbare clothes she’d ever seen. Even the Weasley’s had better clothes during the months when money was tightest, she couldn’t imagine what his life must be like to be walking around in a cloak with more holes than fabric. </p><p>He kept his voice down as he talked to the nurse, their topic of conversation undetectable, but the gruff yet friendly tone of his voice was instantly recognisable. </p><p>“Remus!” She cried out as she practitly flung herself into his arms. “Merlin, how are you! It’s been years!” </p><p>“Mandy? Little Mandy Weasley? I haven’t seen you since…” He trailed off, his original excitement replaced with a look of dread as he realised the last time he’d seen her was before her mother’s injury. </p><p>“It’s ok, we were at war, it’s been a long time, there’s no need to be all stiff and awkward about it”, she nudged him playfully and he broke into a grin. It didn’t quite reach his eyes like it once had, but he looked more like himself. She tried not to look at the new, deep scars that littered his face, she didn’t want to be rude. </p><p>“I should have come to visit her, but..” he trailed off again, scratching awkwardly at the back of his neck. He had always been the shyest of the marauders bar Peter, not that she’d had the chance to know him much before his death. Where Sirius and James would spend their time pulling pranks and playing quidditch with the boys when they visited the burrow before the war got worse, it was Remus who spent hours talking magical theory with her. He looked hauntingly the same but aged far beyond his years. She felt guilty for not reaching out to him before, he’d lost more than most in the war.</p><p>“But life happened, you got busy, and you forgot? She won’t hold it against you, it’s not like she’d even know who you were!” Mandy laughed lightly, but she knew the dark humour she normally kept to herself probably hadn’t helped his awkwardness. </p><p>“Look, I’ve got nothing on right now and it’s been so long, can I buy you lunch? I’d only be stuck here reading an old witch weekly otherwise”, she smiled gently at him, hoping she wasn’t making things worse. </p><p>“I’d love to Mandy, I’ve gone too long without my dose of Weasley madness,” she thought he almost looked genuine. </p><p> (</p>
<hr/><p>)</p><p>They decided on a quite greasy spoon around the corner. The lunch ‘rush’ consisted of three blocky builders who made crass comments about her before they noticed Remus glaring at them and decided to take their food to go, and a skiving school boy who picked at a plate of chips in the corner. Remus picked through the menu looking even more awkward than before, maybe he had avoided her family on purpose? Maybe he wanted no more to do with difficult memories than she did? </p><p>“I’ll think I’ll just have a cuppa tea if thats ok”, he shly asked her, bringing Mandy out of her worries. Shit, she thought, even a place like this was probably more expensive than he could afford. She sighed, she knew what it was like to have to count your pennies. With no income coming in from dad, they lived of old inheritance money from their grandparents and the odd babysitting money she got from looking after some of the muggle children in the village. No wonder he was being so bloody awkward!</p><p>“Fine by me”, she smiled, “I was going to order a portion of chips with my panini if you wanted to share? I have eyes bigger than my stomach, I won’t eat it all!” Remus smiled back, looking genuinely happy to be with her for the first time since she hugged him at St Mungos. </p><p>The pair made polite small talk as they waited for their food, the awkwardness of earlier going away slowly. </p><p>“So, what are your plans now that Ginny has gone to Hogwarts, you must be looking forward to some quiet!” He laughed, tucking into the chips that had just arrived. </p><p>“I was going to try and find some work but I’m not exactly employable”, she laughed as she split the panini in the two, passing one half to Remus who took it reluctantly. </p><p>“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing”, he gave her a sly grin after thanking her. </p><p>“You can repay me by not being a stranger again. Where are you living at the moment?” She asked casually, she didn’t want to scare the poor man away. </p><p>“I’m staying with friends at the moment.” He started picking at a piece of hard melted cheese as if it held all the secrets of the universe. Mandy frowned. </p><p>“Work?” She asked. </p><p>“I’m between jobs.” Remus began to pick at a small piece of thread on his robes, trying to avoid eye contact. </p><p>“You want a more permanent address? There's nobody at the burrow but me and dad, Bill’s room is barely ever used, I’d keep out of your way…” she trailed off, grinning at the look of shock on his face. </p><p>“I don’t need charity”, he quickly murmured, trying to look less hopeful at her offer. </p><p>“It’s not bloody charity Remus, for Merlin’s sake. You look like you haven’t washed in weeks, your clothes are falling apart, and you can’t work. Are you really in a position to say no?” She scoffed at his look of casualness he’d schooled onto his face. </p><p>“I wouldn’t want to put you in harm's way”, he said proudly, smug that she couldn’t disagree with his logic. She couldn’t live with a werewolf. </p><p>“Sirius ever tell you he gave me all your notes on how to become an Animagus. It’s been a long ten years, it seemed like a useful way to fill the time. AND, I could brew you wolfsbane?” She waggled her eyebrows at him causing him to spit out the sip of tea he’d just taken. They laughed at the mess, Remus looking almost like his old self.</p><p>“You’re sure, I don’t want to be a hassle?” He asked sheepishly, but he was looking hopeful again.</p><p>“I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t bloody sure! Why don’t we grab your stuff on the way back to St Mungos and then we can get you settled at home?” She smiled warmly as he nodded, they may have become strangers in the last ten years, but the idea of having Remus at the burrow made it feel more like home than the house had in a long time.  </p><p> (</p>
<hr/><p>)</p><p>The pair landed in a quiet side road off of Diagon Alley. Remus admittedly noted the stiff gait Mandy was walking with and the grim expression on her face. He’d never seen the normally chipper and happy girl look so miserable and serius. Although he hadn’t seen her at all in ten years, Merlin only knew what had happened during that time. </p><p>“Why were you at St Mungos?” He suddenly asked. The thought hadn’t crossed his mind in the excitement of first seeing her, but he realised he’d never asked. </p><p>“Dad came down with a bit of a cold this morning, they’re just checking it’s nothing worse”, she answered distractedly, her eyes darting around at all the shops and people as they made their way to Knockturn Alley. She was lying. </p><p>“How is Arthur?” Remus asked as he turned the key in the lock of a door that looked even more beaten and battered down than him. </p><p>“You know dad, he’s pretty much the same”, Mandy looked so jumpy at this point Remus wasn’t surprised she hadn’t apparited away. He decided to drop the conversation. </p><p>“It’s a bit messy, my friend isn’t a big one for cleaning spells, why don’t you wait here?” He thought giving her some fresh air might make her look less like she was going to pass out, but almost regretted his idea when he saw the look of horror on her face. </p><p>“Sure, I’ll wait here”, she said too quickly, turning away from the door so he couldn’t see her panic. Her breathing was becoming more ragged and she thanked Merlin when she heard the door shut behind her. </p><p>It was all too much. Ginny leaving, dad being ill and now being around so many people. She felt so stupid. She was 25 years old and she couldn’t walk down diagon alley without having a hissy fit. She felt defective. Everyone was doing something, had moved on from the war which still left her waking up in the middle of the night, hearing the screams of her mother and choking on the smell of smoke. The wizarding world had forgotten what they’d fought for, why they had lost so many people, but she was stuck. Stuck in a moment and with a defective family she wouldn't tell anybody about in fear of her siblings suffering. </p><p>“Pretty girls like you shouldn’t be loitering around in places like this”, a voice hissed by her ear. She jumped in shock as she came face to face with the ugliest man she’d ever seen. The ageing man was caked in dirt, his face so dusty and encrusted with thick wrinkles she could barely see his beady little eyes boring into her. She started to back away from him, grabbing for her wand. </p><p>“I’m just waiting for a friend, he’ll only be minute”, she tried to not let her fear show in her voice, she couldn’t deal with him on top of the day she was having. It was too much. </p><p>“Well don’t wait outside my shop, you’re scaring away customers”, he barked. Mandy looked around at the empty grimy alley and raised an eyebrow. </p><p>“I’m not sure if I'm really your main issue”, she bit her tongue as the words fell out, probably not the best idea she’d ever had, talking back to this little stubby man. </p><p>“What do you know about business, little girl?” He looked her up and down. </p><p>“Everyone knows that you spend more money on keeping the aurors out of your business than you do on your stock. Sure, you can get one of items for individual clients, but your general stock is hardly getting people’s blood boiling”, she really regretted starting this conversation. She looked to Remus’ friend’s door, but it refused to open. </p><p>“What do you suggest?” He looked intrigued. </p><p>“Well if you want to improve the shop’s reputation, then maybe you should invest more time in research, get items from other countries. You’re limiting yourself by only focusing on British antiques.” She was becoming more confident, he couldn’t do anything to her. The alley may be quiet, but he knew someone was coming for her, and it wouldn’t look good for Mr Borgin to be involved with a street dual. Not with the aurors breathing down his neck already. </p><p>“You making me an offer girl”, he asked. </p><p>“Not particularly,” she tried to be coy, she couldn't quite see where in her spiel she had given any kind of offer. </p><p>“I’ll pay you 20 gallons a day plus expenses, but don’t fuck me around”, he held out his hand. Mandy looked at it like it might bite her. What was this offer she had supposedly suggested? Was he offering her a job? </p><p>“And what would you want me to do for those 20 gallons?” She looked him in the eye, becoming more confident by the minute. </p><p>“You said it yourself, I need to expand my stock. You research, you get your hands on it, I sell. I thought you were smart”, he went to take his hand back. </p><p>“I never said I didn’t want the job”, she quickly added. She took a deep breath, this was bloody insane, she was so underqualified for this. Although, she did know a lot about obscure magic, and she spent so much time researching to fill her time that she might as well be paid for it. </p><p>“I’ll take it!” She exclaimed, it may be a mental idea, but she was complaining only minutes ago about her lack of job prospects, she could always quite after all.</p><p>“Come by tomorrow and you can have a look at the stock, and don’t smile so much, I can’t be doing with all that…'' he gestured at her with his grubby little hand, “positivity. It’s too much.” </p><p>Mandy laughed, taking his hand she thanked him and promised she’d be there, grumpy and miserable, the next afternoon. </p><p>As she watched him go, Remus finally opened the door. </p><p>“Sorry for keeping you waiting, I was just explaining my superior living situation”, he laughed, relieved Mandy looked a lot happier than she had ten minutes before. </p><p>“Look at you, all chipper! That's what we like to see. Lets visit dad!” She smiled at him as they apparated away. </p><p> (</p>
<hr/><p>)</p><p>As they made their way up to Arthur’s room Mandy told him the good news. </p><p>“That's incredible, look at you falling upon a job! I’d knew you would find something”, he exclaimed, pulling her into a tight hug. </p><p>“I haven’t even started it yet, Merlin knows what he’ll have me doing, but it’s good money, and I can’t just look at your ugly mug all day so..” she screeched as he swatted at her. </p><p>“My ugly mug”, he exclaimed in mock horror, “I’ll have you know I was voted most attractive in sixth year!”</p><p>“No you weren't, that was Sirius, he only gave you the crown so you’d stop pouting” Mandy stopped talking as they came to Arthurs room, only he wasn’t there. Instead, a younger woman was propped up in the bed, her boyfriend, at least Mandy presumed, stroking her hair gently, talking to her calmly. </p><p>“I’m sorry, do you know where Arthur Weasley was moved to?” She asked as politely as possible, feeling awkward for intruding on such a private moment. They shook their heads. </p><p>“Let’s find a nurse, they’ll know”, Remus said, pulling on Mandy’s elbow to direct her to the nurses station. </p><p>Something was wrong, she knew it. Her stomach felt like lead, she could feel the tears welling up again. It was too like before, when they moved mum to the permanent ward. Something had gone very wrong. </p><p>She couldn’t hear the nurse as she explained how it had happened. Her ears were ringing. She could hear Remus asking questions, holding her hand tightly, squeezing it as if to ask if she was still there. </p><p>Mandy looked at the nurse as she made her way to leave, another patient in need of her help.</p><p>“I’m so very sorry for your loss Miss Weasley, I wish there was more that we could have done.” She said with a sad smile. </p><p>Mandy nodded, not really trusting her voice. </p><p>“I wish there was more I could have done too”.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry for this being later than I promised!<br/>I hated writing the ending of this chapter, but I felt it had to be done! Please don't hate me for it!<br/>I've already started the next chapter, where Sirius will be making his first appearance, and I can't wait to post it!<br/>I hope you're enjoying it so far, please let me know what you think!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. A question of Innocence</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mandy tried to steady her breathing. She had decided to floo into the dingy pub in Knockturn Alley to avoid the hassle of Diagon, but the feeling of eyes leering at her in the dark left her just as on edge as the crowds of the brighter street. </p>
<p>She tightened her pony tale and took a deep breath. It was only eight. Less than 24 hours since she’d heard the news. Only 24 hours since she stood in that too brightly lit corridor and watched the nurse walk away, her sturdy plimsolls squeaking on the plastic floor. Her body still felt numb, the only sensation she could feel was the tight feeling that gripped her throat. She wanted to cry but she couldn’t. </p>
<p>Remus had been perfect. He’d flooed them home, and made her a mug of hot chocolate as she sat, in the same seat she had the night the death eaters came into her home and tore out the core of her family. She was angry. So terribly angry that it took her breath away. Arthur Weasley had been a great man, a great father and a war hero. Deep down she knew that he’d died on the 31st of August along with his wife. The carcass that had been left, rotting in their old bedroom for 11 years was no more her father than a stranger on the street. They had taken that from her, and Dumbeldore had let them. </p>
<p>Mandy had always questioned why they weren't put under the fidelius charm like the Potters. Her uncles had already been slaughtered by the death eaters, her parents were known blood traitors and members of the Order, they were known by Voldermort. They were as much at risk as the Potters, but nothing was done to protect them. The only difference she could think of was the prophecy. Dumbledor had protected the Potters to keep his weapon safe. </p>
<p>“Why did Sirius do it?” She had asked him the night before, shocking Remus who had half fallen asleep in the previous stillness of the room. </p>
<p>“Do what?” He looked at her in surprise, not following her line of thinking. He was still in shock himself at his old friends passing. Peacetime had made him almost forget the awful stillness, the feeling that the earth shouldn’t still be moving in the wake of death.</p>
<p>“He was their best friend, yet he betrayed them. He hated that blood purist bullshit. Why change?” She looked at him as he awkwardly fiddled with his cup of tea. </p>
<p>“It must have been a ruse. I don’t know why, I clearly didn’t know him very well” his voice was thick, he had actively tried to keep these thoughts buried since the night it had happened, normally with little success. He simply didn’t know, and there was no point, in his opinion, going over painful ground. </p>
<p>“But you did know him Remus!” Mandy knew she was practically shouting, but she could feel something was wrong. It was like Harry and the prophecy. There was more to it, she knew it. </p>
<p>“He was your best friend for years, you know how much he hated his parents. Voldermort wasn’t even active when you first met him, do you really believe he lied to you for all those years?” She kept her voice calm, she tried to be kind to him, she knew how much his betrayal must have hurt- it had hurt her too. Sirius had always paid more attention to her brothers, but he had been a constant force in the house. A constant source of jokes, and laughter, and goodness.</p>
<p>“I don’t know, but he did it anyway. He killed them.” Remus almost growled at her, the grief he had forced himself not to feel burning into anger. </p>
<p>“Well what did he say at his trial? He must have given a reason?” Mandy refused to bite. Remus could get angry, but they were having this conversation regardless of what he wanted. </p>
<p>“I don’t know, he didn’t have a trial”, he seemed bashful in the face of her indifference. He knew his anger was misplaced. </p>
<p>“There was no trial?” Mandy was shocked, she’d always presumed they’d just missed it. </p>
<p>“No”, Remus couldn’t understand her apparent confusion. “There was no question about his innocence, they found him at the scene of the crime?”</p>
<p>“So?”</p>
<p>“So…. there were 13 dead bodies at his feet? There's nothing to question”, his anger was boiling up again, he didn’t want to have to think about this. Grabbing his mug, he went to the sink, hoping she’d get the message. </p>
<p>“They found Peter’s body? I thought…” he cut her off. </p>
<p>“No but they found one of his fingers. Why are you pushing this?” He snarled at her, whipping around so fast he knocked the dirty plates left precariously on the side from breakfast onto the floor. The pair looked at the cracked poetry, neither one moving. </p>
<p>“I’m not trying to be mean Remus. If they never found the body, if there wasn’t a trial, if you can’t think of one reason why he would have done it, then is it really as simple as he wants it to seem?” Mandy asked kindly, taking his hand in hers, tracing the line of blood that ran down his palm from a stray piece of crockery. Smiling at him, she went to the cupboard and got out a small first aid kit, and set about cleaning the wound. Remus looked intently at a crack in the wall above her head, he could feel the warmth of her breath. </p>
<p>“I’m being a dick. You’re dad just died, and you’re fixing up a stupid small cut”, he shock his head in shame. </p>
<p>“Shut up Remus,” she said with a sad laugh, “he was your friend too. He’d been ill for a very long time. I think I’m relieved, to be honest.”</p>
<p>“Relieved?” He asked gently. </p>
<p>“There was always going to be a day when I would find him dead. I always thought it would be at his own hand. I don’t think he was really with it enough to feel that ill, it was probably a kinder way to let him go.” She smiled sadly, patting Remus gently on his newly plastered hand. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry you had to do it on your own, I should have been here.” He looked ashamed, the guilt in his eyes shined bright. </p>
<p>“You had to do it all on your own too, you lost more than we did”, she shrugged, crouching down to pick up the shards of plate littering the ground. Remus bent down to help. </p>
<p>“You lost your childhood.” He countered. </p>
<p>“So did you.” They stopped and stared at each other for a while, neither daring to break the look of understanding that ran between them. The chime of the clock broke their gaze, both quickly standing up as the moment was lost. </p>
<p>“I know it’s hard to talk about, but Dumbeldor told me about the prophecy”, she said gently as they took a seat in the living room, Mandy not wanting to sit back down at that Merlin awful kitchen table. </p>
<p>“What prophecy?” Remus cocked an eyebrow at her.</p>
<p>“You never knew? They never told you why they went into hiding?” She asked, the shock evident in her voice. </p>
<p>“I thought it was because they had Harry on the way, that they’d been involved in too many death eater attacks, that they were on his list?” He asked her, doubt beginning to eat away at him. </p>
<p>“Then why was my family left unprotected?”</p>
<p>“I never thought… I thought Dumbldore would if there was a need” he looked sick at what she was beginning to imply. “What was the prophecy?”</p>
<p>“Harry is destined to defeat him. Dumbldore didn’t protect the Potters, he protected his weapon, and he’s now testing Harry to see if he’s ready for when Voldermort returns.” She hissed in anger, Remus had never seen her so worked up. </p>
<p>“He thinks he’ll come back?” He asked, his voice almost a whisper, as if voicing it would make it come true. </p>
<p>“He’s sure enough that he’s keeping Harry with those abusive muggles, apparently it’s for Harry’s protection, but… he just doesn’t want his weapon being destroyed before he can use it”, she was almost shaking with anger. </p>
<p>“Abusive?” Remus felt sick. </p>
<p>“They hate him. They don’t feed him enough, they give him hand me down clothes, and Ron told me something about him living in a cupboard under the stairs. Dumbledore won’t let him live with us, but we have him at christmas and from his birthday.” She sighed, “he needs to live with a family member to keep Lilly’s sacrifice’s protection.”</p>
<p>“A blood relative?” Remus looked hopeful, he sat straight in his chair and his face was curious. He looked like he used to during their long talks at the burrow. </p>
<p>“His magic would need to recognise it,” she didn’t know what he was getting at. </p>
<p>“What about a godparent?” The excitement was clear in his voice. </p>
<p>“I would think so, but Sirius is in prison and mum couldn’t look after him. Dumbledore would never allow it.” She couldn’t see why he was so excited, she was glad they weren't doing that weird non fighting thing anymore, but the events of the day had left her exhausted. She couldn’t believe she’d only dropped the others of that morning. </p>
<p>“But it’s like you said, Sirius never got a trial, it was Dumbledore who told me, who told me I had to move on. He was Chief of the Wizengamot, he could have asked for it!” Remus was nearly jumping up and down on his chair, he seemed so excited. </p>
<p>“Calm down, we don’t even know if he’s innocent yet. This is all speculation!” She laughed at his antics. Remus quickly demored. </p>
<p>“You’re right, but if he is, if he didn’t do it, then there's an innocent man sitting in Azkaban.” He looked on in silence, as Mandy sat and gave him a moment. She sighed as a single tear ran down his cheek. She walked over to him and enveloped him into a hug. </p>
<p>“We all thought he did it, we all believed Dumbledore. But that man has done too much without consideration for others for too long. If he’s innocent, we’ll get him out. For Harry.” She wiped away the tears that were now running down his face.</p>
<p>“You must think I’m pathetic. A grown man crying like this”, he said as he bashed away the tears, sniffling as he tried to regain his composure. </p>
<p>“We all sacrificed a lot for peace, and I don’t think we ever learnt how to stop”, she smiled at him as he began to look less miserable. </p>
<p>“When did you get so wise Amanda Weasley”, he laughed at her look of mock insult. </p>
<p>“I’ve always been wise, you were all just too stupid to realise”, she laughed with him. </p>
<p>“I’ll go to work in the morning, I probably shouldn’t miss my very first day, and then let's go visit him. Either he did it or he didn’t, we’ll never know if we don’t ask.” She stood up and made her way to the stairs. </p>
<p>“You think he’s innocent?” He asked as they got to Bill’s room, his new home whilst at the burrow. </p>
<p>“I hope for Harry’s sake he is”, she smiled warmly at him. “I’m happy you’re home Remus, good night.” </p>
<p>“So am I.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>The gruff sound of Mr Burke’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts of the previous night.</p>
<p>“Get your arse over here girl, I don’t pay you to look pretty”, he said with a growl. Mandy couldn’t quite believe it, but he looked even uglier than before. </p>
<p>“Sorry sir”, she muttered as she dipped through the shop’s door. She’d never set foot in Borgin and Burkes before, it had a dark reputation after all and Molly would never have let any of her children enter a building as dusty as this. </p>
<p>She looked around in mild disgust. Every surface was caked in a thick silver grime, a varnish of dust and dirt graced every shelf, yet the artifacts were spotless. </p>
<p>“Never heard of a cleaning charm?” She muttered under her breath.</p>
<p>“Enough of that cheek girl, come into the back, I have something for you”, he barked at her as he limped through to an even dirtier back room. </p>
<p>Mandy took a minute to adjust to the gloomy light. It was as if the room was cloaked in darkness, the only light source a small ornate gas lamp that sat covered in an avalanche of paper. Her earlier panic, that had threatened to have her running for the comfort of her bed, was replaced by a childlike curiosity. The walls were plastered with maps and diagrams of obscure magical relics. It was like a treasure trove, filled at every turn with magic that she’d never even heard of. <br/>“It’s incredible”, she muttered in awe. </p>
<p>“It’s a damn mess, that’s what it is. But ignore that”, he waved at her to grab her attention as he began rifling through the towers of paper that covered the desk. </p>
<p>“Here we are. I want you to find this box, it is very valuable”, he said as he handed her a crumpled piece of paper. On it was a hastily drawn picture of a simple, oriental style box. </p>
<p>“A music box?” She presumed. </p>
<p>“A rather important one. Legend has it, an old chinese wizard split his soul and used the box to keep it safe. A friend has asked me to find it”, he looked at her with a raised eyebrow. </p>
<p>“You don’t believe the legend?” She asked. </p>
<p>“Why would you split your soul? Seems a weird thing for a powerful wizard to do.” He already looked board with the conversation and had set about clearing some of the papers, although they seemed to be multiplying. </p>
<p>“If you had a fragment of soul severed from the body and protected, like the legend says, could you die?” Mandy’s mind began to whirl, she had a new piece of the puzzle but she didn’t know where it belonged or what picture it was a fragment of. </p>
<p>“Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answer to. It’s an old legend, no proof, but it's a big commission. You do this well, you keep the job.” He pointed to the door. </p>
<p>“Is that it?” She asked, it had been less than 10 minutes, she had no experience obviously, but she always thought the work day would last at least 7 hours. </p>
<p>“You’ll scare the customers, you don’t need to be here to find that stupid box. I don’t want to see your mug in here until you find it.” He stared at her as she made a retreat. </p>
<p>“Will do”, she muttered as he grunted at her exit. How rude, she thought, as she apperated back to the burrow to pick up Remus. They had a godfather to question, and she had a new puzzle piece to play with.</p>
<hr/>
<p>It was two by the time the pair had run out of excuses to leave for Azkaban. Lunch could only last so long, and after their third cup of tea it was hard to delay their departure any longer. As much as they wanted to find Sirius innocent, they didn’t want to enter the notorious island. </p>
<p>“Have you ever been?” Mandy asked nervously as she pulled on a wool coat, her hands shaking slightly as she tied her scarf. </p>
<p>“No. You?” Remus looked alarmly pale, his scars almost shining in comparison to his white complexion. </p>
<p>“Neither. I hear the dementors make it colder.” She looked at him out of the corner of her eye as they stood opposite the floo. </p>
<p>“Same.” He didn’t move. </p>
<p>“Not the ideal place for a holiday.” The floo powder remained firmly in its holder. </p>
<p>“I would think not. I’ve always wanted to go to Iceland though, that's quite cold.” The fire flickered, mocking their lack of movement. </p>
<p>“That would be lovely, I prefer the sun. There’s always an add in the travel agency in town for St.Tropez, that looks nice.” Remus nodded, the pair still not moving. </p>
<p>“We should probably….”</p>
<p>“Yeah we should….” neither moved. </p>
<p>The silence rang as they stood there, neither talking, neither moving, until once again the chiming of the clock pulled them out of the moment. Being pushed into action, Mandy bit the bullet and entered the floo. Her voice warbled as she shouted out her destination, but by the sudden coldness that penetrated her bones, she knew she was on the island. </p>
<p>As Remus landed beside her, she looked around. They had arrived at the floo station, a small fireplace in a small shack of an outhouse. The wind of the sea rattled the wooden panels of the walls, whistling through the gaps and adding to the cacophony of the waves lashing against the grey walls of the main prison building, and what sounded like screaming. A weathered old guard sat by the door, beckoning them towards him. </p>
<p>“Business?” The man grumbled out, the sound almost carried away by the wind. </p>
<p>“Remus Lupin and Amanda Weasley, here to see Sirius Black. I sent an owl” Remus practically shouted over the storm outside. </p>
<p>“Wands”, the man held out his grubby withered hand. The pair looked at each other, both reluctant to give over their wands, but they knew it was policy. With a reluctant shrug, Remus offered the guard his wand, Mandy following suit. With a sigh, the guard pointed to the door, offering no further instruction. Confused, the two made their way to the exit, only to be greeted by a dementor. </p>
<p>Mandy shrank back in shock. Her legs felt instantly numb, any feeling that had returned since the shock of Arthur’s death leaving them. She felt herself falling slowly, as if through water, an echo of a scream, her name, over and over and over. Her breath quicked, she reached out a hand, searching for the voice. Her mother's voice. It was coldness that greeted her. A cold steel like grip that grabbed her wrist and yanked. The pain that surged up her arm made her legs weak, and turned her stomach. She saw black spots, and she felt herself being pulled under, no longer floating slowly through the water, but plundering down faster and faster, untill… </p>
<p>“Mandy!” </p>
<p>She gasped. The murky blackness that had darkened her eyesight was gone, and she was looking into the concerned golden eyes of Remus Lupin. Her friend, her old babysitter. She was being battered by the wind, but no one held onto her wrist. There was no screaming. No mother. No falling. She breathed in shallowly as Remus held her, stroking her hair. </p>
<p>“Are you ok to go in?” He asked as he passed her a piece of chocolate, broken off from the bar in his pocket. </p>
<p>“I think so”, she tried to smile at him reassuringly, but it felt more like a grimace. He smiled back as he broke off his own piece. He looked shaken, the dementor effecting him too. Her body softened as the warmth returned to her body. She could feel it snaking through her blood, down into her toes. She smiled for real, grabbing Remus’ hand, they braved their way up the rocky path to the cracked wooden door of the prison. </p>
<p>Their dementor companion knocked on the blistered blackened wood before it swung open with a clang. Remus squeezed her hand hard, we’re doing this together it seemed to say. She felt instantly more capable of braving the inside of the prison knowing he was there, by her side. She squeezed back as they stepped over the threshold. </p>
<p>Whilst the cold bite of the wind was no longer whipping their bodies, the inside of the building had its own blood curdling chill. The sound of metal restraints clanging against the iron bars of cells rattled through the grey floors. As they were led to a visitors room, the dripping of icy water acted as an echo to every step they took. No prisoners were kept on the ground floor, yet their screams could be heard from the floors above. Mandy looked at Remus, his face wrinkled in pain. She had forgotten about his more sensitive hearing. She winced, she had no wand to cast a muffling spell, so she cast a wandless one, but she knew it would be weaker. He smiled at her in gratitude and relief. </p>
<p>They came to a stop at an iron door at the end of the hallway. The room they entered was soundproofed, the sudden silence jarring in comparison to the barrage of sound in the corridor outside. In the middle of the room sat Sirius Black, his arms and feet shackled with thick metal chains that seemed to drag his very essence to the floor. Mandy hadn’t seen him since the week before the fire, a quick visit to update her father on Order business cut short by news of a new attack. He had been frazzled, the war not sparring even his casual good looks as he became covered in more and more bruises and scars, but this was different. </p>
<p>His hair brushed his shoulder blades, long and matted, the curls forming a wall of inky black that seemed to absorb all the light in the room. Mandy remembered how he used to let her plait it, tie it up with pink little ribbons before she was old enough to go to Hogwarts. Sometimes he would let her apply blush and blue eyeshadow, and he would parade around the kitchen singing Celestina Warbeck off key. Now it added to the frenzied look in his eyes, the grey that was once calming and strangely warm, now hard and detached. Like a battered dog. She noticed then a thin scar running across his eye and down his check. It was ragged and deep, and definlity new. It cut across the perfect symmetry of his face. He looked old. So unbelievably old. The youfull spirit that had radiated off him during even the worst moments of the war had been replaced by indifference, and at worse, an acceptance that life wasn’t quite worth living. He looked defeated. </p>
<p>Remus looked at her, his face covered in pain. She squeezed his hand before dropping it. She was going to have to be the one to face him, Remus was too broken by his appearance to do it. She sat down in the cold metal chair opposite, as he stood rooted to his spot by the door. </p>
<p>“Could you leave”, she asked the dementor in a cold voice she didn’t recognise as her own. She didn’t look at it as she heard the door close behind the cloaked beast. She felt instantly clamer, and saw Sirius’ shoulders relax. </p>
<p>“I don’t know if you remember me Sirius, I’m Mandy Weasley, you used to come to the burrow a lot”, she smiled at him kindly. Her words hung in the air as if he didn’t quite remember how to speak. </p>
<p>“You were smaller”, his voice was gruff and gravely, as if it hadn't been used in a long time. He coughed, trying to clear his throat. She got up slowly and went to get a cup of water from the water fountain in the corner. He didn’t look her in the eye as he drank it. </p>
<p>“I should hope so, it has been 11 years”, she let a small laugh enter her voice, not wanting to be too loud to scare the man in front of her. He sat cowered like a small scared child, her heart broke for him. Even if he was guilty, nobody deserved this. </p>
<p>“I suppose it has. Hard to keep track of time in here”, he looked her in the eye finally. She didn’t speak, not quite knowing what to say. Remus shuffled awkwardly behind her. Sirius dragged his eyes over to his old friend, watching him carefully as Remus kept his eyes firmly on the ground. </p>
<p>“You didn’t get a trail”, she said simply. He didn’t answer. </p>
<p>“They never found Peter’s body, just a convenient finger.” He looked at her in shock but said nothing. </p>
<p>“You confessed that you killed them”, she added carmly, no accusation in her voice. </p>
<p>“It was my fault”, his voice broke. He couldn’t say any more. </p>
<p>“It being your fault and you killing them are two very different things”, she smiled at him softly. He didn’t understand. Why were they here? Why was this girl, this woman, being so nice to him? What is she trying to say? </p>
<p>“Did you kill those muggles?” She could see his confusion, she could almost see the thoughts floating through his head. If she was going to save him, save Harry, she had to make it simple. </p>
<p>“No.” He whimpered. </p>
<p>“Who did?” She asked calmly. </p>
<p>“Peter”, at this his voice became angry, he began to shake. She reached out to him, grabbing onto his clasped hands, she squeezed. </p>
<p>“It’s ok Sirius, we’re here to help. I’m going to get you out but you have to help me. What happened?” She tried to pool every ounce of warmth and kindness in her body into her gaze, to make him feel safe. He whimpered again.</p>
<p>“I promise you, it’s all going to be ok. Please believe me”, her voice was almost begging now. Remus hadn’t moved. </p>
<p>“Sirius”, his voice cracked. The haggard man’s eyes snapped to the werewolf. “Please tell us”. He didn’t move, but he finally met his friend's eyes, a tear falling down his cheek. Sirius took a deep breath and began. </p>
<p>“We changed the secret keeper. I was too obvious, too easy. I thought it would be better to be Peter, I thought it would keep them safe…” he took a deep shaking breath, tears threatening to spill. Mandy squeezed his hand again, nodding for him to continue. </p>
<p>“He was one of them, he wanted glory or some bullshit, I don’t know. But he told Voldermort, he betrayed them. When he didn’t turn up to the pub I knew, I knew something had gone wrong. When I got to the cottage it was…” his voice cracked again. He took a steading breath. </p>
<p>“I knew where he had gone, back to his flat. I followed him and found him in the street. I should have killed him on sight, I should have revenaged their deaths, but I wanted to understand, wanted to know why. He cut off his finger and blew the street up. The muggles who had come to watch the fight were just collateral to him”, he choked on the tears that he finally let spill. </p>
<p>“I killed them”, he wailed. Remus ran to him. </p>
<p>“No. Don’t you dare Sirius Black. We were at war. We were young and stupid and fighting a war we should never have been a part off. You tried to protect them. You did everything you could. It’s Peter. It’s all Peter.” Remus flung his arms around the shackled man’s neck. Mandy watched in silence as their sobs rang out in the silence of the room. It felt like hours as she watched the two old friends embrace, the years of silence and grief that hung between them still there, but pushed to the side for what was now the chance of a future. A future together. They pulled a part. </p>
<p>“You think I could have a trial”, Sirius asked, his intense grey eyes drilling into her. She gave him a shaky smile. </p>
<p>“I think you were cheated of one. I think there's evidence that you did not do this. I think you deserve a trial”. Her voice became firmer as she went on. </p>
<p>“I promised you godson that I would give him a better life. He needs you, and I’m struggling for a christmas present idea.” She grinned at him and was rewarded with a wide grin in return. He began to laugh, manically and hysterically but it filled the room with joy. Soon Mandy and Remus joined in, the trio clutching their sides at the unfunny joke. As their laughter died Mandy swept the tears of laughter and pain over lost opportunities away from her eyes. </p>
<p>Before she could think better of it, she lent over and brushed away the tears on Sirius' cheek. As she went to apologize, he smiled. </p>
<p>“Let’s make sure I’m home for christmas then”. </p>
<p>“That sounds like a damn good plan”.</p>
<p>For the first time in 11 years, Sirius Black smiled.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>He's finally here! <br/>I loved writing sad, broken Sirius, but I can't wait to see him out of Azkaban!<br/>This is deffo my favourite chapter yet, please let me know what you think of it! I'm always up for constructive criticism (but nice comments are always better!!!!!) <br/>Hope you're all enjoying the story so far! Gx</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. A Fight For Innocence</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I can not begin to say how sorry I am for the lack of updates on this story! It has been months and yet I am still getting Kudos and hits on a story I have neglected too much! You, readers, deserve more, and as does our dear Sirius! <br/>I can't leave him to rot in Azkaban, so I have decided to continue writing this story and give my Sirius the happy ending he deserves! </p><p>I hope you still want to read more, I will be updating weekly and have the next chapters outlined so there will be lots more updates to come!</p><p>I also want to thank everybody who has left kudos and comments so far, it has motivated me to come back and I can't explain how much they mean! I hope you enjoy the new chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mandy didn’t know where to start. </p><p>After their first visit to Azkaban, she had felt a drive and sense of life that she hadn’t experienced in years. She was going to get Sirius out and pulling one over on Albus was going to be the cherry on top. She had no option but to succeed. </p><p>The only trouble was that she was ever so slightly out of her depth. She had barely left the house in 12 years, her only powerful contact was the old kook himself and the closest she had come to studying law was watching L.A Law on her dad’s beat-up TV. The idea that she could get Sirius a trial was laughable, but with less than no money she couldn’t afford a lawyer. Mandy was Sirius’ only hope, the poor sod. </p><p>Remus’ unwavering belief in her wasn’t helping either. If he offered to make her one more cup of hot chocolate because there’s nothing in the world chocolate can’t help make better, she was going to kill the man. Poison his chocolate, that would be poetic.</p><p>You would think Mandy was some kind of super genius the way he constantly praised the simplest use of magic, or the most pathetically small advances in her quest for a trial. When Mandy was feeling forgiving she put it down to Remus being nice and showing gratitude for giving him a roof over his head. Most of the time she had to stop herself from hexing him.</p><p>Not that living with Remus was all bad, just odd. Mandy wasn’t used to having another adult in the house, somebody to share responsibilities with, who could remove the ghoul from the attic for her and did the washing up without asking. They had adult conversations and discussed the news in the Daily Prophet over a finger of firewhisky. Correction, two fingers of firewhisky. Mandy normally didn’t like to keep booze at home in case Arthur found it, but sharing a drink with Remus was nice. It felt adult and normal. </p><p>If Mandy was being honest with herself, and when she wasn’t so stressed from her lack of progress she could be, she knew that was her issue with Remus. He bought normality. It was like living with a roommate, just like Bill and Charlie were doing, and just like she should be doing after finishing training for some fancy job and living in a big scary city. </p><p>At 25 she should have lived somewhere other than home and not sleeping in the same pink bedding that she’d had since she was 14. Living with Remus made her realise just how much she’d missed. Ironically, Remus was thinking just the same thing, both too stubborn and ashamed to voice their feelings. </p><p>After a month of little to no progress, Mandy struck gold. Running down the crumbling steps of the Burrow two at a time she skidded into the kitchen, hair still damp from the shower. Remus, peacefully drinking his morning cup of tea and reading the Prophet nearly choked as the tiny towel she had wrapped around her body threatened to fall. He was turning a slight purple. </p><p>“Oh, stop it, Remus, I’ve hardly got anything worth seeing anyway, no need to look so mortified.” She laughed, her brilliant new plan blowing away the normal morning slump she experienced, particularly in the winter months. Remus only looked more mortified. </p><p>“I’m sure that isn’t true, there must be lots of young men… or women, whatever… I mean, if you were… or… just as long as you're happy…” Remus’ spluttering had Mandy in peels of laughter, his discomfort at the suggestion of her sex life almost made her forget her news in her haste to make him squirm. </p><p>“If you’re so desperate to know about my preferred ‘mate’, it depends on the cycle of the moon, the seasons, how good they look in a leather jacket, I’m very progressive”, she smirked as she passed him the letter she’d just received. “Enough about me though, read that”. </p><p>Remus looked relieved by the change in conversation, and grabbing the letter from Mandy’s outstretched hand he started to read. Mandy glanced over to him every couple of seconds as she quickly poured herself a cup of tea, stopping to give the haggard Earl a biscuit to recover from his long journey. </p><p>“Why would you write to Xenophilius Lovegood?” Remus asked in confusion, holding out his mug to ask for more tea.</p><p>“Because I am an absolute genius and despite knowing bugger all about the law, I’m about to make history by busting our dear hound dog out of prison?” She smirked. </p><p>“Please don’t tell me you’re thinking of breaking him out? I know you’ve been discouraged by the lack of progress, but you could be sent to Azkaban.” Remus looked faintly alarmed at where her big plan was heading. </p><p>“Bloody hell Remus, of course not!” Mandy looked flabbergasted at the suggestion, “although I am flattered you think I could break him out, that is not the plan.” Taking a gulp of tea she pointed to that month's copy of The Quibbler. </p><p>“Last chance I checked neither of us are mindreaders, I’m going to need more than a point to guess where your mind is at” Remus laughed. </p><p>“Okay, Lovegood edits the Quibbler. A magazine people read. I have been told by every arsehole that I have written to ask to support Sirius’ trial that it is not in the public’s interest to drag ‘nasty’ old stories through the news again.” Remus thought Mandy was looking very smug for somebody who was yet to make any sense. Far too smug if she was banking on loony Lovegood. </p><p>“I think I’ve missed your point,” he smirked. </p><p>“That’s because I haven’t gotten to the bloody point,” Mandy said, throwing her hands up in annoyance. </p><p>“We need to make Sirius and his freedom public interest, and to do that we need sympathy from said public”, Mandy waited for the shoe to drop. It was a brilliant plan and she couldn’t wait to bask in his praise. Maybe it was nice to have somebody who cared to show their appreciation after all. </p><p>“What are you saying? You want an interview? In the Quibbler?” Remus looked shocked, and far too unconvinced for the brilliance of her plan. </p><p>“Okay, keep your excitement to yourself. It’s brilliant. Sirius tells his story, we get people’s interest and we force the Ministry's hand through the public. No amount of letter writing and petitions is going to get him a trail, this just might”. Mandy was beaming with excitement. </p><p>“You’re barking” Remus was still in shock. </p><p>“No, Sirius is. Because he’s a dog?” Remus was too shocked to laugh at Mandy’s poor attempt at humour. </p><p>“Nobody takes the Quibbler seriously Mandy, it could hurt his case” Remus tried to say nicely, taking Mandy’s tiny hand in his large callused ones. </p><p>“I know it isn’t ideal, but if we hand them out in Diagon Alley and send some off to the children, then people will see his story and the Ministry will have to do something. It’s the closest thing we have to a plan, we have to try”, Mandy swallowed to keep the tears from coming. This wasn’t just about Sirius, she had to get Harry away from those muggles and back with his family. </p><p>Remus squeezed her hand before picking up both their mugs and putting them in the sink. He smiled at her kindly, grabbing both of their coats from the small cloakroom under the stairs and walking over to the floo. Mandy sat in confusion. </p><p>“What are you doing?” She asked, following him over to the floo. “You hate the idea so much you’re moving out?” Mandy tried to joke. </p><p>“It’s a mad, half-cocked and truly insane plan. Sirius is going to love it.” Remus smirked. </p><p>“I’m glad you finally agreed,” Mandy laughed, slipping into her coat as Remus, ever the gentlemen, helped her into it. “Doesn’t answer my question though.”</p><p>“We’re going to tell Sirius of course! And give him a haircut, we can’t have him meeting the press looking like a drowned mutt” Remus laughed. </p><p>“I’m going to tell him you said that”, Mandy squealed as he chased her into the floo, the two of them no longer afraid to face the coldness of Azkaban with their good news pulling them through the gloom of the dementors. </p><p>(</p><hr/><p>)</p><p> </p><p>The power of good news could only do so much. Mandy shivered in her coat as the dementors took them to the visitor's room, the shrieks from the inmates cracking against her skin and making her feel sick. </p><p>They had visited Sirius twice a week since that first time, and maybe it was Mandy’s imagination, but with each visit she felt worse. She was waiting to become immune to the bitter nastiness of the place, but she was beginning to think she might be waiting a long time. It was simply horrid. </p><p>Sirius made it all worth it though. Mandy still couldn’t believe how much the man had changed in the month since their first visit. The once dirty dropping face now shone with a bright smile as they entered the room, his childlike glee at seeing them making him look younger than his age. He was beginning to look like the Sirius who taught her dirty limericks and snuck her out to a Queen concert in her fourth year. </p><p>Her faint laugh at the memory caught the attention of the two men, now embracing in the middle of the room. </p><p>“Afraid of a little bromance? Didn’t peg you for such an old fashioned prude Mandy?” Sirius smirked at her as she swatted his chest, too skinny for her liking, before pulling him in for a hug. </p><p>“I don’t know about that Padfoot, Mandy seems to be beating them off the way she tells it.” The two men laughed at her shocked face. </p><p>“Don’t put words in my mouth Lupin, I hardly have a queue of potential suitors lining up around the block, and it would be none of your business if I did”, she feigned mock anger before bursting out in giggles at their fake serious nods. It was like talking to the twins sometimes. </p><p>“Yes, you’re hardly a catch dear, what with the werewolf room mate and the litter of kids, no wonder you have time to spend with old men”, Sirius barked out a laugh. </p><p>“You’re right, I should be out getting myself a nice man. I’m thinking of a boring ministry job, slight mummy issues and a good healthy collection of sweater vests. Yes, that will really get me going”, the three bent over in laughter at the idea of Mandy shaking up with such a bore. </p><p>After getting all their laughter out of their system, Mandy relayed her plan to Sirius, the older man getting more excited by the minute. </p><p>“You really think it could work? I remember old Lovegood from the Order, he used to help Hagrid travel around Europe to meet the giants, he knew a bunch of weirdos”, Sirius looked thoughtful like he often did when trapped in old memories. Mandy smiled softly at him before trying to bring him back to the present. </p><p>“I’m 98% sure, and it's the only plan we have. Dumbeldore will hate it, undermining his authority and all, and that's why I love it!” Mandy laughed, Remus laughing indulgently. </p><p>He may agree with Mandy’s distrust of the man, and knowing the lack of role that he played in helping Sirius, he was hardly the headmaster’s biggest fan, but he couldn’t forget the kindness he showed him as a child. He owed Albus his education and friends. </p><p>“It might not work, but we have to do something, and you’ve always been good at talking about yourself Pads”, Remus laughed at Sirius’ feigned hurt. </p><p>Mandy laughed and grabbed a pair of scissors from her bag. Sirius looked at her as if she’d just pulled out a gun. Pointing a weary finger at the scissors and backing away as much as his chains would allow him, Sirius tried ducking away from Mandy. </p><p>“You crazy women, do you even know how to cut hair?” Sirius laughed out as Mandy wrestled him to the floor. The pair tumbled about, barely pinning the other to the ground before being flipped over, reversing their positions. They were a flailing pile of limbs and Remus was a laughing heap on the floor. </p><p>As Mandy got the upper hand she screamed at Remus to grab his legs. With the two of them sitting on Sirius, Remus on his legs and Mandy straddling his chest, Sirius finally admitted defeat. </p><p>“If you must, you can cut my hair”, Sirius tried to say with some dignity, a smirk threatening at the corner of his lips. </p><p>“I’m going to make you look gorgeous just like I used to do when you babysat, I’m thinking french braids” Mandy smirked back. </p><p>“As long as you don’t pull it all out, my hair is my best feature after all”, he tried to preen under her, but the two of them had him pinned to the ground. Jumping up, Mandy led him back to his chair and started brushing out his matted locks. </p><p>“Sure, sure. We wouldn’t want all your groupies to miss out on your luscious locks. With all this publicity I bet you’re a shoe-in for Witch Weekly’s bachelor of the year”, Mandy laughed at his disgusted face. </p><p>“Rather Sirius than that Lockheart bloke, he was a right pillock at school, always making up lies and stories”, Remus smirked as he sat opposite a wincing Sirius, too polite to tell Mandy of in her overexcitement. </p><p>“Lockheart? That Ravenclaw with the crooked teeth? How is he bachelor of the year, he looked like he’d been hit in the face one two many times with a bludger?” Sirius asked the pair. </p><p>“He went off to the States and came back a year later, new teeth, blonde hair and orange skin. Rumour has it he met some muggle doctor in LA and got work done” Remus was struggling to hold in his laughter as Mandy gleefully chopped away at Sirius’ hair.</p><p>“Watch it red, I want some hair left” Sirius yelped as Mandy barely missed his ear in her enthusiasm. </p><p>“Calm down, I’ve cut all the boy’s hair, and you have enough to spare, you look like a banshee.” Mandy couldn’t help but be hit by a wave of nostalgia, the little scene before her an echo of the fun they used to have in the Order. Little pockets of bliss and joy despite the war raging on around them. Sirius was always the best at making the most of a bad situation. </p><p>“Do you remember that Queen concert you snuck me out to?” Mandy asked, thinking back to the memory that plagued her as they’d walked in, her cutting becoming less viscous now that she’d cut out the larger knots. </p><p>“How could we forget! Your mum was so livid when she found out. And Minny, I’ve never seen her look so angry” Sirius howled at the memory. </p><p>“That’s because you snuck her out through Hogsmeade and let her get drunk” Remus pointed out helpfully. </p><p>“I was not drunk,” Mandy said indignantly, waving her scissors at the tired looking man. The full moon was only a week away and the effect was clear. </p><p>“So I didn’t pull your hair back as you threw up in the men’s room?” Sirius asked.</p><p>“I don’t recall that detail of the night”, Mandy smirked pretending to look outraged at the very suggestion. </p><p>“Well I do. I also remember you throwing up on Minnie’s tartan slippers,” Sirius laughed. </p><p>“I think you’ll find that was you Pads, Mandy was crying over the ladder in her tights at that point and James was trying to convince Lilly to have some alone time on the quidditch pitch”, Remus laughed at their embarrassed faces. </p><p>“Minnie was really pissed off, I don’t know why you all came back with me, I could have walked alone”, Mandy giggled at the memory, she could still remember the awful hangover she had the next day. It had been worth it though. </p><p>“What if you’d gotten lost,” Sirius proclaimed. </p><p>“At the school I’d gone to for four years, sure…” Mandy shook her head. </p><p>“Yeah, we just wanted to visit the kitchens, nothing beats a Hogwarts’ treacle tart” Sirius looked glassy eyed at the very idea. </p><p>“That will be our first stop then,” Mandy said confidently. </p><p>“When?” Sirius looked at the girl in confusion, her fiery hair sticking to the gleam of sweat on her forehead as she concentrated on giving him the perfect haircut.</p><p>“When I get you out of here. We’ll get you a whole tart to yourself, drinks at the Three Broomsticks and then I’m buying you every good album released in the last 11 years. You, Sirius Black, are in for a serious education” Mandy smirked at the pure glee on the man’s face. If she let herself, she might just have thought that he looked quite handsome in the moment. He must have stumbled into good lighting. </p><p> </p><p>(</p><hr/><p>)<br/>As Remus and Mandy settled by the fireplace that evening, both feeling calmed by the success of their visit and the start of a plan, Errol flung himself at the window. </p><p>Mandy looked up from her notes on Sirius’ case, not expecting a letter so late in the evening. Remus looked equally as surprised. </p><p>Untying the letter from the poor old owl, Remus getting up to get him some food and water to recover from the trip, Mandy felt a sick dullness in her stomach. It was the first she’d heard from Ginny all term. </p><p>Reading the quickly written note Mandy felt worse and worse. She’d almost forgotten that it was halloween. Remus looked on in worry as her eyebrows pinched together. </p><p>“Everything alright?” Remus came to wrap an arm around her, offering support in any way. </p><p>“The Chamber of Secrets has been opened”, Mandy said in shock. </p><p>“I’ve never heard of it”, Remus said in confusion, having an awful feeling that this was going to change everything. </p><p>“I read about it years ago in an old book on the founders, Slytherin left a chamber for his heir to live out his sick twisted ideas of proper wizard society. Last time it was opened a girl died”, Mandy felt sick at the idea that her siblings could be at risk. </p><p>“Who would open it?” Remus sounded as worried as she felt. </p><p>“Ginny said they all think it’s Harry, he was there when they found the petrified cat”, she handed the letter over so he could read it for himself. “Does she sound weird?”</p><p>“What do you mean?” Remus asked.</p><p>“It’s just a feeling in the pit of my stomach. Something was wrong with her towards the end of summer, I thought it was nerves about going to school, but she seems off in this. Her handwriting is different”, Mandy looked deep in thought. </p><p>“You think somebody else wrote it”, Remus sounded slightly alarmed by the thought. </p><p>“No. Maybe, I don’t know. It’s just weird. Death Eater teachers one year and the next a deadly Slytherin lair being reopened. Albus is up to something”, Mandy almost seethed with her hatred for the man. </p><p>“Why don’t I think you’re going to write a nice polite letter expressing your concerns to the headmaster?” Remus asked, looking down from his perch on the arm of her chair to see Mandy’s smug smirk. </p><p>“Because, Mr Lupin, you know me too well. The boys have a quidditch match this weekend, who knows what members of the faculty I might bump into in the stands” she said innocently. Remus scoffed. </p><p>“Bumping into Dumbledor will be purely coincidental”, he asked with a quirk on an eyebrow. </p><p>“Complete coincidence”, the pair laughed, the worry in the pit of her stomach still there, but Mandy felt comforted from the very new sensation of having a friend to confide in. </p><p>Maybe living with Remus was a good thing after all.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you enjoyed it!<br/>I love writing a happier Sirius, but broody sad Sirius will be making some more appearances too!<br/>I love any and all feedback, even negative constructive comments, so please tell me what you think!<br/>Gx</p>
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